By Camryn McLen
LaQuan Smith is a New York-based designer known for his edgy, glamorous, sexy runway looks. Among the many celebrities he has dressed are Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian and Rihanna. In recent weeks, even Vice President Kamala Harris wore custom LaQuan Smith to Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour. Since founding his namesake brand in 2013, Smith has gained a great deal of attention and recognition for his ready-to-wear collections.
His first runway debut was in September 2018 for the spring/summer 2019 collection. Since then, he has never disappointed, including his latest spring/summer 2024 collection for both men and women presented at NYFW on Sept. 11.
For his spring/summer 2024 collection, Smith incorporated bright and bold colors, as well as a plethora of fabrics. The runway was filled with dresses, skirts, moto jackets, cutouts, crocodile patterns, and an endless amount of metallics. Among the 36 looks that were showcased, 15 of them were monochrome, which was a noticeable trend in this collection. These looks varied from black crocodile leather suits to white crocodile leather skirts and cropped jackets, to a silver metallic bomber jacket with a matching pair of micro shorts, to hot pink sheer bodysuits with matching pants.
Another trend that Smith seemed to love and incorporate into his collection was mini skirts. There were hot pink and aqua-metallic low-rise mini skirts with ruched side gatherings and mini white crocodile leather skirts with a rectangle buckle belt. Mini skirts weren’t the only stars of the show, as Smith also featured midi and maxi skirts in the line. Some of the midi skirts integrated the crocodile leather that was included throughout the collection, such as one maxi skirt featuring light blue crocodile leather with a low-rise waist. One midi skirt was made with white crocodile leather with a high slit on one side and a large rectangle buckle belt.
Smith’s final look was metallic heaven. This metallic masterpiece featured a very low-cut deep neckline with a halter tie at the back of the neck. As the dress goes down, it follows a bodycon silhouette until the very bottom, where it resembles a hoop skirt. The entire dress is silver and made with a crinkled aluminum-looking fabric. The draping of the dress makes it look very comfortable and easy to move around in.
Celebrities including Quinta Brunson, Offset, Saweetie, Kimora Lee Simmons, Mary J. Blige, Teyana Taylor, Lil Nas X and Laverne Cox packed the front row of Smith’s show which comes as no surprise at all considering the number of celebrities he’s dressed before.
In an interview with Vogue, Smith said that for this collection he strived for “sexy and refined” with “bold proportions and structured pieces.” Smith also reminded himself and others that the “LaQuan Smith woman is on her way to something fabulous.”
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